Brake for spinning and twining spindles



March 15, 1960 H. sTAHLEcKER BRAKE Foa SPINNING AND 'rwINING sPINnLEs 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 20, 1957.

March l5, 1.960 H. sTAHLEcKER BRAKE FOR SPINNING AND TWINING SPINDLES Filed Sept.

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Tuul Arm/Mrs.

March l5, 1960` H. sTAHLEcKER BRAKE FOR SPINNING AND TWINING sPINDLEs 4 Sheets-Sheet 5V Filed Sept. 20, 1957 Mgrch 15, 1960 H. sTAHLEcKl-:R 2,928,230

BRAKE FOR SPINNING AND TwINING sPINDLEs Filed Sept. 20, 1957 4 Shee's-Sheei'I 4 ZIV/ig@ 1Z0 l 702 N; 11,1 l T I 1005 '06; 1 l @E (GID) @i x l :n 703 105 107 I 100 110 i i Il B"- l! 107 02101' y, 117,027, 1 .e .1 I I l A lgd GD/1 l 103 2, I J- Y Arran/vf rs,

United States Patent 2,928,230 BRAKE FOR SPINNING AND TWINING SPINDLES Hans Stahlecker, Sussen, Wurttemberg, Germany Application September 20, 1957, Serial No. 685,260

Claims priority, application Germany SeptemherrZZ, 1956 The present invention relates to l'improvements in spinningA or twining machines and more particularly to a brake for the spindles of such machines.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a boxlike spindle housing which may be partly or entirely closed and forms a container for the driving elements and lower spindle parts, as well as for a brake for each spindle.

Another object of the present invention is to provlde a spindle brake which is preferably mounted on the inside of a removable or hinged cover of the boxlike spindle housing and which may be actuated by suitable means disposed on the outside of the housing.

It is a fact well known to any person familiar with the art of spinning that in the operation ofmodern spinning and twining machines very considerable kinetic energies are developed by the heavy spools and bobbins on the spindles of these machines which are driven at very high speeds. In order to stop the spindles, these kinetic energies have to be overcome by friction and,

` since for a proper and economic spinning operation these spindles should be brought to a quick stop, the brake pressure required is necessarily very great. However, the operator of themachine when applying the ,brake either directly or through intermediate means, for example, a spring, should, for this purpose, not be required to use any tiring physical effort which would reflectl upon the proper operation of the machine and result in a decrease in the rate of production and impairment of the quality of the goods produced. A quick brake action will, however, require a smdl physical effort only if the force is applied to a longoperating handle and the braking power is then transmitted to the brake itself byV a short lever arm, which means that the transmission ratio between the brake and the operating lever must be relatively the lack of space and still permits such handle to be' made as long as may be desired so that it can be easily operated by the spinner with hardly any effort.

A feature of a preferred embodiment of the invention; for attaining the above-mentioned object consists in mounting the operating handle which actuates the brake so as to be pivotable both about a vertical or substantially-l ver'tical axis and about a horizontal or substantially horizontal axis. Such double movability permits all the v handles of a series of adjacent brakes which are not being operated to be disposed parallel to each other within a preferably horizontal plane and thus without requiring any large space. The particular handle which is then to be used to actuate a brake is then pivoted from this horizontal plane into another plane in which its manipulation is not hindered in any way by the handles'of the adjacent brakes.

AnotherY feature of the present invention' consists in as. villustrated in.Fig. 4, with one brake in the applied 2,928,230 Patented Mar. 15, i960 2 mounting a brake lever so as to be pivotable about a shaft at the inside of the cover of the boxlike spindle housing, and in securing a-brake shoe to one side of this brake lever and connecting a tension spring'tothe other side which draws the brake lever toward a pressuretransmitting lever which is pivotably mounted at the in- Vpoints and the braking power may be produced by an accumulator, for example, a spring which is preferably made in the form of a substantially U-shaped yoke. The brake shoes may then be directly connected to the inside of the free ends of such yoke-shaped spring.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the brake may also consist of two opposite brake shoes which are mounted on a pair of levers which are pivotable relative to each other and are pressed toward veach other by a bifurcated spring to exert a simultaneous braking action upon the opposite sides of the whorlv or pulley of the spindle and may be forced apart by an eccentric cam or the like to disengage the brake shoes from the spindle.

A further embodiment of the invention consists in a brake with a pair of opposite brake shoes which are mounted on two double-armed brake levers. For disengaging the brake shoes, these levers are forced apart by a compression spring, while for applying the brake they are forced `toward each other by an eccentric cam or the like which, as in the last-mentioned embodiment, may be manipulated by means of an operating handle.` However, While in the previous embodiment the brake is applied by the force of the spring anddisengaged by the handle and eccentric cam, in this embodiment the operation is the opposite in that the brake levers are normally held apart by the compression spring and' the brake is applied by turning the handle and eccentric disk against the action of the spring.

Since the brake shoes when frequently applied might be worn olf relatively soon, it is another object of the invention to mount them so as to be easily removable and to be quickly exchanged. This may be accomplished by securing the brake shoes to the free ends of the spring arms, for example, by means of setscrews.

Still another feature of the invention consists in combining the various elements of the brake to form a unit whichis mounted within a boxlike housing and may beV installed therein and removed therefrom as a unit.

Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparenty from the following de-l tailed description, particularly when read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates a side view, paltly in cross section, of a brake with a single brake shoe which is mounted on a hinged cover of a boxlike housing and wherein the braking power is produced by the manipulation of an operating handle; f 1

Fig. 2 illustrates a top view of two brakes of the type as illustrated in Fig. 1, in which one brake is shown in the applied position and the other in the released tion;

Fig. 3 illustrates a crosssection taken along line yIII- III of'Fig. 2 and illustrates the latch for locking the hinged cover in 4the closed position; -1 Figk4 illustrates a cross section similar to Fig. l butr of a brake with two opposite brake'shoes, wherein braking power is produced by a spring; p

Fig. 5 illustrates a to'p view of two brakes of the typek the masas() position and the other in the released position and with a part of the hinged cover bro-ken away to illustrate the brake mechanism more clearly;

Fig. 6 illustrates a View similar to Fig. 4 but of a modication of the invention in which the braking power exerted by the two brake shoes is produced by a manipulation of the operating handle;

Fig. 7 illustrates a top view of Fig. 6, again with one brake in the applied position and the other in the released position, and with a part of the hinged cover broken away to illustrate the brake mechanism more clearly;

y Fig. 8 illustrates a vertical cross section of a brake mechanism according to a further modication of the invention;

Fig. 9 illustrates a top view of two brakes according to Fig. 8 in the released position, with a part of the hinged cover broken away;

Fig. lillustrates a similar top view of three brakes according to Figs. 8 and 9 with one brake in the applied position and two brakes in the released position; while `Fig. l1 illustrates a top View of a inodiiication of the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10.

Referring to the drawings, and iirst particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, a suitable number of vertical spindles 10 are mounted and driven in the usual manner by a common shaft through separate belts 16 within a boxlike housing. This housing consists of a rear upper part 13 which is secured to the spindle frame 14 and a cover 1 which is pivotally mounted on frame 14 by means of one or more hinges 11 and detachably connected to part 13. Each spindle 10 has a whorl 9 which may be acted upon by a brake shoe 4 which may consist of any suitable material and is secured to a brake.

lever 3. This brake leve-r 3 is pivotably mounted on a headed bolt 2 or the like on the inside of cover 1 and is drawn by a tension spring 5 into engagement with a short lever 6 which is secured to one end of a shaft 7. This shaft is rotatably mounted within a suitably reinforced bearing portion of the upper wall of cover 1. The other end of shaft 7 extends through this wall to.` the outside of cover 1 and there carries an operating handle 8. For applying the brake to stop the rotation of spindle lil, handle S is turned in a counter-clockwise direction from its released position, as shown, by one handle 8 at the lower part of Fig. 2, to the position as shown by thev handle. 8 of the adjacent brake mechanism at the upper part of Fig. 2. Since shaft 7 rigidly conf nects handle 8 to lever 6, the latter is likewise turned and lthereby presses upon brake lever 3 to pivot the same about bolt 2 against the action of spring 5, whereby brake shoe 4 will be rrnly applied against whorl 9 on spindle 10 which is thereby slowed down or entirely stopped as long as the operator of the machine continues to press or pull handle 3 in the counterclockwise direction. During such time, belt 16 will slide along the whorl or pulley 17 on the lower part of spindle i0 within housing 12.` As soon as the operator releases handle 8, spring 5 pulls brake lever 3 away from the spindle and thereby disengages brake shoe 4 from whorl 9 so that the spindle can again rotate freely.

` In the' event that the bearings of spindles 19 might require new lubrication, their driving elements might require servicing, or brake shoe 4 might require to be replaced because of wear, cover 1 may ,be easily opened by being tilted downwardly about hinge or hinges 11 to the. position as indicated in dotted linesin Fig. 1 or even to a lower position. Since the entire brake mechanism is mounted on the hingedk cover 1, all parts thereof will be `easily accessible both from the inside and outside. After the driving elements of the spindles or the brakes have beeninspected, cover It may again be easily .pivoted upwardly and locked in the closed position by a suit able latch or similar means. Such closing movement also returns thev brake mechanism to its operating position in which brake shoes 4 are automatically placed at the proper distance Vfrom whorls 9 on spindles 10 to engage therewith as soon as hand levers 8 are turned. By enclosing the driving elements and the lower parts of the spindles as Well as the principal parts of the brake mechanisms, cover protects all of these parts from being soiled by lint, dust, and the like and also protects the operatorof the machine from the moving driving elements thereof. Fig. 3 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the latch of cover 1 which consists of a knob 121 which is't'otatably mounted on the outside of cover l 'preferably at a point intermediate two adjacent spindles 10, as shown in Fig. 2, and.- the shaft of which carries on the inside of cover 1 a locking lever 122 with a lateral recess therein which, when cover 1 is fully closed and knob 121 is then turned, will engage with a pin 123 secured to housing part 13. Suitable means may also be provided on such latch to prevent the same from opening accidentally. This may be attained, for example, by a wedging action between lever 122 and pin 123.

Althoughthe'embodiment of the invention as illustrated in Figs. l and 2 has the advantage that the brake mechanism is extremely simple and very inexpensive, it has the disadvantages that the braking power must be produced by the operator of the machine and that, since this-power is exerted upon the spindle by the single brake shoe 4 from one side only, it must be taken up to a considerable extent bythe spindle bearing and will thus produce wear upon the bearing. These disadvantages are overcome by the modification of the invention as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, in which the braking power is not produced but merely released by the operator, thus saving him this physical effort, and wherein the braking power-is ralso exerted upon the spindle by two brake shoes `from two` diametrically opposite directions so vthat the spindle bearing is relieved entirely from any additional wear due to the operation of the brake. For this purpose, a substantially U-shaped spring 22 which serves as a power accumulator is mounted on the inside ot the upperwall of cover 21. The two arms 221 and 222 ot spring 22 press with considerable force upon a pair of braking levers 23V and 24 which are pivotably mounted on pins 26 and 27, respectively, and carry on the inside of their free outer ends brake shoes 28 and 29, respectively. For operating the brake, an eccentric cam 25 is pivotably mounted between spring arms `221 and 222 and whenV turned to one position, as shown at the lower part of Fig.l 5, presses the two spring arms apart so as to disengage brake shoes 2S and 29 from whorl 30 on spindle 31, while when turned to another position, as shown at the upper part of Fig. 5, it disengages yfrom spring arms 221 and 222 so. that 4the latter can exert their full spring actionto press brake shoes '29 and 2S from diametrically opposite sides against whorl 3) to stop the rotation of spindle 31. Cam 25 may be rotatably mounted in the upper wall of cover 21 and carry on the outside thereof a handle 32 by means of whichcam 25 may be turned in one or the other direction. ,Although the individual parts ofthe brake mechanism may be secured directly to the upper wall of cover 2.1, in which case pivot pins 26 and 27 may be secured to this wall and eccentric member-25 may be rotatably supported solely thereby, the .brake mechanism is preferably designed as a selfccntained unit as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, vwhich is enclosedl by a pair of mounting plates 37 and 38. in this case, pivot pins are secured in plates 3'7 and 3S and these pins as well as another pin or rivet 33 near the lfront end 0f Plates 37 and 38` connect these plates to each other. Plates 37' and 3S also serve as means for supporting spring 22 and as bearing elements for rotatably supporting carin 25. For securing the entire brake unit to the upper wall of housing 21, handle 32 is removably secured to member 25 by a screw, while mounting plates 3! and B18-are provided with corresponding elongated slots 3,7 through which a screw 35 may be inserted, the head of which tits Vclosely in a bore in the upper wall of housing 21, while 'nut 34 on screw 35 tits from below into slot 37' in plate 37. By the provision of slots 37 it is therefore possible to pivot the brake mechanism slightly about the pivotal axis of cam 25 in the upper wall of housing 21. The two brake shoes 28 and 29 may thus be adjusted relative to whorl 30 so that their pressure upon the latter will be equal and even though they may be worn or of uneven thickness. Similarly as described with respect to Figs. 1 and 2, brake shoes 28 and 29v are also mounted on brake levers 23 and 24 so as to be easily removable therefrom to permit a quick replacement. Cover 21 may also be easily Vopenedv in the same manner as previously described and as indicated in Fig. 4 in dotted lines to permit an inspectionand servicing of the driving spindle and brake parts within the housing and a replacement of the brake shoes.

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate another modicationof the invention which diiers from the embodiment as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 primarily by the fact that when the brake is in the released or inoperative position, the two brake levers 41 and 42 are spread apart by a spring 43, while for applying the brake, handle 44 has to be turned against the action of spring 43. Handle 44 is secured to a double-eccentric cam 45 which is rotatably mounted in suitable bearing apertures inmounting plates 39 and 40 which are secured in a spaced relation to each other byl pins or rivets 50 and 51 and a screw 46 which secures the entire brake unit to the upper wall of cover '2 and serves as a pivot of the two brake levers 41 and 42 which are thus pivotable about screw 46. For applying the lbrake, handle 44 is turned from the position as indicated at the lower half of Fig. 7 to the position shown at the upper half thereof, whereby cam 45 forces the rear ends of levers 41 and 42 apart, pivots the same in a scissorlike movement relative to each other about the shaft of screw 46 and against the action of spring 43 and thereby applies brake shoes 47 and 48 which are removably secured to the front ends of levers 41 and 42, against whorl 49. When handle 44 is again released, spring 43 forces the forward ends of brake levers 41 and 42 apart and pivots the same back to their original position whereby brake shoes 47 and 48 disengage from whorl 49, allowing the spindle again to rotate freely.

The modifications of the invention illustrated in Figs. 8 to l0 is similar in function to the embodiment shown in Figs. 4 and 5 in that the brake is applied when handle 103 is turned to release the two arms 101 and 101 of the U-shaped spring 101, and the brake is released when handle 103 is turned to force the two spring armsltll and 101 apart.

Spring 101 is secured to and engages spaced abutments on a mounting plate 100 which, in turn is removably secured by a screw 106 tothe upper wall of the cover. An eccentric cam 102 is rotatably mounted between spring arms 101' nad 101" and guided within the upper wall of the cover by a stud 109. At the outer end of stud 109 a plate 111 is mounted which carries a caplike member 105, the upper wall of which is disposed at an oblique angle to plate 111 and which is open at its larger end. Handle 103 terminates at one end in a ball 104 which is pivotable in a vertical direction in a socket at the inner end of member 105 from a horizontal position as shown in Fig. 8 in full lines in which handle 103 rests on plate 111, to an oblique position as shown in Fig. 8 in dot-and-dash lines, in which handle 103 engages with the upper oblique Wall .of member 105. As indicated by the Aarrow in Fig. 10, the handle 103 of each brake and thus also the eccentric cam 102 which is rigidly secured to plate 111 is pivotable about the vertical axis A-A (Fig. 8) through an angleof substantially 90.

Due to the movability of handle 103 in a'vertical direction to a'n oblique position, it is possible to make the handles of the numerous adjacent brakes of considerable length without dangeruthat the vhandle of the respective brake .manipulated at one particular time might interfere with the handles of the adjacent brakes which are knot in operation. Due to such length, the operator of the ma-A chine only needs to apply a very small force upon the handle of the respective brake to exert a very strong braking action upon the spindle. When the brakes are released, handles 103 will rest in the horizontal position and parallel to each other as seen from above. They will normally be retained in this position by the attened portionsA 102' on cam 102 engaging with spring arms 101 and 101". For applying one brake, its handle V103 is then iirst pivoted upwardly to the oblique position and thus out of the range ofthe adjacent handles 103, whereupon it is turned sideways, as indicated by the handle of the central brake in Fig. 10, to turn cam 102 so as to release spring 101 so that the brake shoes 107 thereon engage with whorl or pulley of the spindle. These brake shoes 107 are mounted directly on the free ends of spring arms 101 and 101 and are removably secured thereto, for example, by setscrews l108.

Fig. 11 iinally illustrates a modiiication of the embodiment as illustrated in Figs. 8 to l0, in which the handle 113 of each brake, instead of being connected by a balland-socket joint to plate 111, is connected thereto b-y means of a hinge pin 112. In order to apply a brake upon one of the spindles, handle 113 of that brake is rst pivoted upwardly about the horizontal axis of hinge pin 112 and then turned about the vertical axis of rotation of plate 111 and cam 10-2 whereby cam 102 will release limited to the details of l'such embodiments, but is capable,A

of numerous modifications within the scope of the'appended claims.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim 1. In combination with spinning or twining spindles, a housing substantially enclosing each of said spindles and having a cover, means for opening and closing said cover, a brake mounted on the inside of said cover and comprising at least one brake shoe, and an operating element on the outside of said cover and connected to said brake for applying said brake shoe to one of said spindles within said housing and for releasing said brake shoe from said spindle.

2. In a combination as delined in claim l, wherein said operating element comprises an operating handle, and means for permitting said handle to rotate about a substantially vertical axis and also about a substantially horizontal axis. A

3. ln a combination as dened in claim l, wherein said operating element comprises an operatinghandle, means for permitting said handle to pivot about a substantially vertical axis, a hingelike member connecting said handle to said means for permitting said handle also to pivot about a substantailly horizontal axis, and meansfor limiting the movement of said handle about saidhorizontal axis from a substantially horizontal position of v said handle to an oblique position.

4. In a combination as d'eiined` in claim 1, wherein said operating element comprises an operating handle, means for permitting said handle to pivot about a substantially vertical axis, a ball-and-socket joint connecting said handle to said means for permitting said handle also to pivot about a substantially horizontal' axis, and a hoodlike member on said means and over said ball-and-socketv assenso mitting lever, means for pivotally mounting said pressure* transmitting lever on the inside of said cover and for connecting said last lever to said handle at the outside of said cover, and a tension spring connected to one side of said brake lever for maintaining the same in constant engagement with said pressure-transmitting lever, said brake shoe secured to the other side of said brake lever.

6. In a combination as deiined in claim 1, wherein said operating element comprises a handle, said brake comprising at least two brake shoes, said brake shoes being disposed relative to each other and to said spindle so that the braking forces exerted upon said spindle will not be transmitted to and taken up by the bearingsl of said spindle.

7. In a combination as definedl in claim 6 wherein said brake further comprises a force accumulator on the inside of said housing, means for connecting said brake shoes to said accumulator, and means for connecting said handle at the outside ofv said housing to said accumulator for releasing the forces thereof to apply said brake shoes upon said spindle.

8. In a combination as defined in claim 6, wherein said brake further comprises a substantially U-shaped spring, means for connecting at least one of said brake shoes to each arm of said spring, and means at the inside of said cover and connected to said handle at the outside of said cover for releasing and tightening said spring and for thereby applying said brake shoes upon saidl spindle and disengaging said brake shoes from said spindle.

V9. In a combination as defined in claim 6, wherein said brake further comprises a pair of brake levers, means for pivotably mounting said brake levers on the inside of said'cover substantially parallel to each other, at least one of said brake shoes secured to the free end of each of said brake le ers so that said brake shoes face substantially toward each other, a substantially U-shaped spring, the arms of said spring acting upon` said brake levers, respectively, and means at the inside of said cover and connected to said handle at the outside of said cover for pivoting both of said brake levers simultaneously toward or away from each other to apply said brake shoes from opposite sides upon said spindle or to disengage said brake shoes from said spindle.

l0. In a combination as defined in claim S, wherein said means for tightening and releasing said spring comprise an eccentric cam disposed between the two arms of said spring and, when said handle is being turned, adapted simultaneously to act upon said two arms.

ll. in a combination as dened in claim 6, wherein said brake further comprises a pair of double-armed brake levers, means tor'pivotably mounting said brake levers on the inside of said cover substantially parallel to each other, at least one brake shoe secured to each of two corresponding arms of said brake levers so that said brake shoes face substantially toward each other, a spring disposed between said arms of said brake levers and` acting upon said arms in one direction, and an eccentric cam rotatably mounted on the inside of said cover between the two other arms of said brake levers and connected to said handle at the outside of said cover for acting upon said other arms in the same direction as said spring acts upon said rirst two arms.

12. in a combination as defined in claim 1l, wherein said means for pivotably mounting said brake levers comprise a member for pivoting said brake levers about a common axis.

13. In a combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said` brake further comprises means for supporting said brake shoe, and means for removably securing said brake shoe to said supportingmeans.

14. In a combination as del-ined in claim l, wherein said brake comprises a plurality of vmembers including said brake shoe, means for combining all of said members to form a single unit, and means for "removably secul'ngrsaidunit to the. inside. offsaid cover and for removably connecting the same to said operating element at the outside of said cover. Y

15. In a combination as defined inclaim 6, wherein said brake comprises springV means for biasing two brake shoes relativeto each other and wherein said handle isV connected to means for displacing said brake shoes against the bias of said spring means so that the braking forces may be applied or'released from saidV spindle byA and having a cover, means for opening and closing said cover, a brake mounted on said cover and comprising at least one brake shoe, and an operating element on the outside of said cover and connected to said brake for applying said brake shoe to one of said spindles within said housing and for releasing said brake shoe from said spindle.

18. In a spinning or twining frame having rotated spindles, a manually-controlled brake apparatus Velective to stop and hold a spindle and comprising two braking members mounted to embrace a rotated part of a spindle on opposite sides thereof, yielding means to apply braking pressure to said members, manually releasable means for holding said braking members spaced from said spindle, and a removable front casing enclosing and supporting all working parts of the brake apparatus, and said manually releasable means comprising a handle mounted on said front casing and removable with said casing and with said brake apparatus to a positionremote from said spindle.

19. The combination in a spinning or twining frame as set forth in claim 18, in which the two braking members are mounted on said front casing and wherein said yielding means comprises a single and unitary yielding support which is formed as a substantially U-shaped spring strip for biasing said braking members relative to said spindle, and in which said yieldingsupport is removably mounted and secured against a pair or" spaced abutments which are xed with respect to said removable casing.

20. The combination in a spinning or twining frame as set forth in claim 18, in which the two braking meinbers are mounted on a single and unitary yielding support which is formed as a substantially U-shaped spring strip, and in which said yielding support is removably' mounted and secured against a pair of spaced abutments which are xed with respect to said removable casing.

2l. The combination in a spinning or twining frame as set forth in claim 18, in which the two braking members are mounted on a single and unitary yielding support which comprises a substantially U-shaped spring strip having friction shoes secured to the free ends of said U-shaped spring, and in which said U-shaped spring is secured against a pair of spaced abutments which are ixed on a plate removably secured to said front casing.

ieerenceslited in the file of this'patent UNITED STATES PATENTS' 415,827 Tynan Nov. 26, 1889 2,333,047 Schlums Oct. 26, 1943 2,449,773 Hargreaves et al Sept. 21, 1948 2,736,l62 Steinberger Feb, 28, 1956 2,770,092 Wood Nov. 13, 1,956 2,800,762 Wuimli July 30, 1957 

